Lily Shippen Recruitment Agency | Placing Admin, PA, EA, Secretarial and Reception Staff in Manchester and the UK | Do you have to go to uni for a good job?

As university freshers’ weeks get underway and thousands of teenagers settle into campus accommodation, a report has revealed that only three in 10 school leavers are taking up university places this year.

It seems that young people are becoming increasingly sceptical of higher education with only two-thirds of under-16s considering university important, down from 86% in 2013.

The survey findings, from social mobility charity The Sutton Trust, revealed that young people from low-income families were the most likely to shun university for financial reasons. Not enjoying studying, or believing that they are not clever enough, were also cited.

For many, a university education will incur debts of over £50,000 and graduates will be paying back their loans well into middle age. And in many cases they will end up with degrees that don’t get them into graduate jobs.

Already Google, Netflix and Apple have stated that job candidates no longer require degrees for graduate-level jobs.

And Asim Qureshi, CEO of Jibble, who scrapped its degree requirement earlier this year, recently posted on Linkedin saying: “The vast majority of businesses need most of their entry-level ‘graduate’ hires to be numerate, literate, hungry and have good communication and team skills. We’re on the cusp of a revolution.”

Manchester-based Lily Shippen, who runs a successful recruitment business at just 26, says: “I never went to university and it hasn’t affected my advancement. In fact, around 85% of my clients don’t specify the need for a degree. So it’s a myth that a university education is necessary for a successful career.”

After A’Levels, Lily, from Stockport, Cheshire, decided that she’d had enough of studying and wanted to enter the world of work. She took off for the bright lights of London and top recruitment agency, Robert Walters, specialising in placing business support professionals into the financial services sector and working with blue chip companies.

She says: “Higher education isn’t for everyone and I felt it wasn’t for me. It was a bold move because most of my friends went to university and it was hard seeing them go. But we’re all doing well and although we’ve had a few years away from each other we’ve still maintained the friendships, so I don’t feel as though I’ve lost out. One of the advantages of starting work early is that I own a house and car at 26.”

Lily says there are numerous office-based jobs available to people without a degree, including Personal Assistants, Sales Managers, Project Managers, Marketing Assistants and more.

“That being said, you may have to work harder to prove yourself or work your way up the career ladder. Most entry-level business support roles in Manchester pay between £17,000 – £18,500 per annum and work experience alongside your studies can help you secure a higher base salary.”

Being a young person who has already achieved a high level of success in a tough industry, Lily wants to give something back by helping other young people get on the first rung of the career ladder. So, her company will be launching a series of master classes later this month.

“They’ll initially be available to school leavers and recent graduates who want to start a career as a business support professional,” she says. “We’re going to show them those aspects about a person which make future employers take notice. With our help we can make people stand out from the crowd because we know exactly what employers are looking for and a good CV is not always enough. In time, we will be tailoring the classes to more experienced business support professionals.”

The bi-monthly master classes will be held at Lily Shippen HQ, based in WeWork at 1 St Peters Square, Manchester. They will cover CV writing, interviewing techniques, what to expect from roles and how to apply for jobs. Lily and her co-worker Emma Hulbert, who both attended Cheadle Hulme School, will also be revealing the kind of tips only known by experts in the industry.

She went solo in 2016 and launched the Manchester office the following year after noticing a gap in the market for a specialist secretarial recruitment agency in the North West.

Lily Shippen work across all industries but only recruit business support professionals, including Receptionists, Team Assistants, Legal Secretaries, Personal Assistants, Private PAs, Executive Assistants and Office Managers.

Lily received a Highly Commended award in February for Entrepreneur of the Year at the Made in Manchester Awards. The company also received a Customer Service Excellence Award at The Greater Manchester Business Awards.

The company sponsors the Manchester PA Awards, which take place in November at The Point, Old Trafford.

Lily’s top tips on how to get that first job

1. “Any work experience you can get is brilliant. Voluntary work in your summer holidays or a Saturday job demonstrate hard work and independence.”

2. “With Gen Z entering the workforce, employers say they’re receiving more digital résumés that resemble ‘Instagram-friendly palettes of mint green and pastel pink’. Make sure your CV is tailored to the role and company that you are applying to. A CV that is being submitted to a media company should look different to one intended for a financial services firm.”

3. “A recruiter will spend an average of six seconds reviewing a CV. Bullet point responsibilities for your roles, ensure all text is the same size and font and ensure it is no longer than three pages.”

4. Ask a friend or family member to check your CV for any grammar mistakes.”

5. Create a LinkedIn profile and ensure that you have a clear photo (no wine in hand and no filters!). Add your work experience to your LinkedIn profile, ensuring that the dates match those on your CV.”

6. “Do your research before an interview and always make sure that your answers are aligned to the job spec advertised.”